SO TELL ME AGAIN,

WHAT IS A DIACONAL MINISTER?

A Major Project forSt. Stephen’s D. Mm. Program

Kay Heuer -

Kay HeuerMajor project

Completed in December 1992St. Stephen’s D.Min Program

SO TELL ME AGAIN, WHAT IS A DIACONAL MINISTER?

INTRODUCTION

What is a diaconal minister? The question comes in a varietyof forms and it comes all too often. Diaconal ministers findthemselves explaining who they are again and again. It becomespart of the job; however, something happens, in the constant needto interpret diaconal ministry. Diaconal ministry has theopportunity to evolve. Since the question is recurrent, diaconalministers are forced to reflect continuously on their ministry.They update their view of ministry introspectively, but they alsotalk about it together in diaconal gatherings. The meaning ofdiaconal ministry is refined with each discussion. Then, when thequestion arises,”What is a diaconal minister?”, interpretation canbe given that includes an historical perspective, and shows howdiaconal ministry fits with the present church and times.

Something else happens, however, to diaconal ministers in theconstant request to explain themselves. They become disheartenedand deeply frustrated, particularly with people who have beeninvolved in decision—making at various church levels. Why arethese people who “should know” still asking? How long does it takefor a church system to recognize this particular ministry? Itbecomes evident that diaconal ministry is indeed on the margins ofthe United Church. The question, “what is it?”, contains not onlya request for an explanation, but an underlying request for ajustification of this ministry. Some are more blunt. Out ofignorance or bureaucratic frustration, they propose that diaconalministry ought to become part of ordained ministry in order tosimplify the whole matter of having variations within ministry.

Perhaps it is helpful to note that the confusion aboutdiaconal ministry exists in other denominations as well. In thebook Called to Serve, a publication of the United Methodist Church,the authors state •that diaconal ministry has always been a sourceof controversy in the church historically, and perhaps inevitably.They go on to say that this controversial movement gives hope“because the diaconate embodies what the whole church is called tobe” (Keller, Moede and Moore, p. 3). The community of faith hasthe unsettling task of working towards justice in the world, anddiaconal ministers have the role of •encouraging the community inthis task.

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In this project, both the meaning of diaconal ministry and itsrelationship to the church provide the focus for study- The firstobjective, then, is to discover how diaconal ministry is currentlyinterpreted by diaconal ministers and to articulate a diaconalidentity. A second objective is to formulate an analysis of thedifficulties the church has in understanding and appreciatingdiaconal identity, from the experience and reflection of diaconalministers. This study is clearly limited to data provided bydiaconal ministers. A complete analysis of the difficulties inmisunderstanding would need to include a variety of other membersof the church--another study in itself I

This part of the project, the research and writing, representsPhase One. Phase Two was an implementation phase, using thesefindings about diaconal ministry in an educational program. Howshould people entering diaconal ministry be prepared to take onthis identity? How should they be prepared to handle thedifficulties the church has with diaconal ministry?

METHODOLOGY

For this study, I have made use of a small population who haveshared their thoughts in depth. To arrive at the questions whichwould be most fruitful in getting at the meaning of diaconalministry, I worked with two other diaconal ministers, Betty Marlinand Teresa Jones. To use research lingo, I would call these twowomen “exemplars” of diaconal ministry, who could not onlyinterpret diaconal ministry for themselves, but who could enableothers to express diaconal ministry both in words and in action.In separate conversations, we took on the task of devisingquestions which would bring out a discussion of the essence ofdiaconal ministry and what made it distinctive. I came away withtwo fascinating lists of potential questions which I consolidatedin consultation with a third diaconal minister, Ann Naylor, staffperson for the National Committee on Diaconal Ministry.

As well, I arranged to receive supervision from MerlinWahlstrom, Ontario Studies in Education, to assist me in setting upresearch procedures and in the interpretation of the data. Ratherthan interviewing individuals, or sending out questionnaires, Ichose to gather data through a focus group. A focus group providesfor interaction of several participants around a specific topic.The moderator presents open-ended questions and encourages honestdiscussion.

While the focus group does not allow for drawing conclusionsfrom a large random sample, it does offer othet advantages. Itpromotes an in-depth discussion of the research topic.Participants are able to consider and re-consider their responsesto the topic as they interact and hear different viewpoints andexperiences. For the purposes of this research, the focus groupapproach seemed ideal. Diaconal ministers could work together to

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develop a common articulation of diaconal ministry and the currentobstacles they encounter. As well, the use of focus groups ensureda method of research that was congruent with the way diaconalministers operate in educational settings--valuing experience,encouraging dialogue, seeking communal wisdom.

Because not everyone could attend the first focus group, Iheld a second group, with two more diaconal ministers. Theparticipants for the focus groups were chosen to representdifferent experiences of diaconal ministry--community and socialministry as well as educational settings and congregationalministry. There was an age span, from the 3D’s to the 60’s, and aspan in the number of years of experience as well. I tried toensure that all- persons had some commitment to diaconal ministryand had given that identity some thought and struggle. Focus groupparticipants and other con~ultants are listed in Appendix 1. Themoderator’s questions appear in Appendix 2.

- After the focus groups met, I transcribed their comments,which had been tape-recorded. Most of the quotes you read in thispaper are taken directly the transcription. An initial draft ofthe project was then sent to the participants to check foraccuracy. Several participants wrote about thoughts which occurredto them later or were sparked by the written draft itself, and manyof these thoughts have been included here. The process could go onendlessly, just as diaconal ministry identity goes on evolving, buthere I must freeze the picture in order to share it on a widerbasis. -

Another aspect of this study has been my own field placementas a diaconal minister. As part of my sabbatical year (1990-91),I worked in a rural pastoral charge to become re-acquainted withdiaconal ministry in a congregation and to experience again what itis to be a student in a field placement. I kept a journal toassist- in reflecting on my learning goals. One learning goal wasespecially pertinent: to become aware of how diaconal ministersrelate to the ordained, in the context of sharing ministry. Asthis study on diaconal ministry developed, I was able to beconscious of the focus group questions (see Appendix 2) and put thesame questions to myself each week as I wrote in my journal. Inthis way, I included myself as a active participant in thediscussion, using my own experience of serving as a diaconalminister.

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Because the statements which came from my journal of the fieldexperience were not discussed during the focus groups where I wasacting as moderator, I felt it was crucial to get reaction fromdiaconal ministers to what I was writing. Of course theparticipants in the focus groups were able to respond to the draft,but at this stage I was able to go further and include someadditional diaconal ministers as readers of the project. Theircomments on diaconal identity and its place in the church have beeninfluential in re-drafting this project.

THE FINDINGS

What We Say About Who We Are

Diaconal ministers are commissioned to the ministry ofeducation, service, and pastoral care. These are the words of theService of Commissioning and they make a natural place to begin theexplanation of what diaconal ministry is within the United Churchof Canada. Church structures understand ministry functionally, bywhat ministers are assigned to do. On the other hand, diaconalministers tend to talk about an emphasis in what they do. Theirconcentration is on education and community ministry primarily.But diaconal people expand on those terms. They see one of theirtasks as broadening the understanding of Christian Education farbeyond the traditional notion of Sunday School to encompass lifelong learning, including adults at all stages of life as well aschildren. Moreover, this broadened understanding widens the scopeof Christian education so that it may deal with any aspect of lifethat faith can address.

The way education is done also needs explanation. Theapproach is to start with people, assisting them to makediscoveries about themselves and their world. It affirms people’sexperience in life, and builds their self-esteem, creativity, andcritical thinking. Education is a process of raising up questions,of seeking meaning, of pushing for change. The focus groups notedthat questions and changes are not always welcome; people like thecomfort of hanging on to what they have~ and what they know. Yet,diaconal people believe that learning implies a willingness tochange, to make changes in oneself and changes for the society totry to bring fullness of life for everyone. Education, then,naturally leads into the ministry of advocacy. Children, forinstance, need advocates within the church as well as in the worldto speak on behalf of their needs. One participant spoke aboutchurch resistance to children’s art: “This beautiful building mightbe destroyed by children’s work on the walll” Her diaconal role inthat context was to challenge adults to accept children as valuablemembers of the community.

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In diaconal ministry, education and service are boundtogether. Diaconal ministers try to increase people’s socialawareness as preparation for involving everyone in the ministry ofoutreach and action. Social ministry and social analysisconstitute a second emphasis of diaconal ministry. While the rootword “diakonia” is translated “service”, initially in early times,it meant service to the poor and marginalized. In the gospelrecord, Jesus identified himself with this kind of service(diakonia), for instance in his healing of lowly women who couldnot afford medical treatment (Luke 8:43) and in his concern forimprisoned and hungry people (Matt. 25). It is not the commonlyheld understanding of service as charity. Rather it is the kind ofservice that attempts to alleviate suffering by societal change.

Present United Church diaconal ministers have continued thissame understanding of “service”. They are focused on seekingjustice for the poor and marginalized of our times in Canada andglobally. Some diaconal ministers are directly engaged in workingwith the poor and marginalized; in the first focus group one was achaplain in a low income housing project and another did communitydevelopment work with youth. One •participant spoke about herexcitement in promoting justice for women around the world. Sherealized that women in Asia and Africa are also working forjustice, and that there is potential for networking among womenglobally.

Pastoral care is an assignment shared with ordained ministers.Diaconal people approach pastoral care as a ministry that is sharedwith lay people as well. They are aware of the need for groupsupport in pastoral care, even where congregations may not yetexpect it. Almost as soon as pastoral care was mentioned in thefocus group, the need for pastoral care teams became an item in theconversation. The diaconal role was seen as initiating andeducating others for ministering with one another. At times,diaconal ministers report that people they visit viewed them moreas a friend than a minister! Their commitment is to work towardsmutuality in relationships, including the pastoral relationship.People discover that diaconal ministers know some of the issuesthat underlie the pain and that they have some analysis of thesesituations. Because of the diaconal commitment to social justice,pastoral care is more than giving comfort where it is needed; it isabout gaining strength for resisting injustice where that hasoccurred and redirecting energy towards fullness of life for all.

Challenges We Encounter in the Church

Because diaconal ministers are engaged in a ministry that isseen as less needed, or valuable, than the ministry of word andsacrament, they find themselves marginalized within the church.Often, when a congregation employs a diaconal minister, it is as a“second minister”, although about one—third of diaconal people are

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serving as the only paid minister. The “second’ minister is thengiven a lesser status and authority in the minds of many churchpeople, particularly when the second one is diaconal and female.One focus group member spoke about her experience of church peoplewanting to check out all committee decisions with the ordained maleminister, even when she had been part of the decision—making.

Diaconal ministry brings the heritage of women to ministry andas such, it suffers the same sexism where men’s work is given muchhigher value than women’s work. The forerunner of diaconalministry was the deaconess movement, begun in protestant churchesin the mid 19th century. As a women’s movement, it was accepted inthe church because it offered single women an opportunity to offertheir nurturing gifts. Mary Anne MacFarlane has called this, beingthe “wife of the church” (Educated Ministry: Diaconal Ministry, p.82). While many deaconesses used their position innovatively andcourageously, they were seen as “helpmates”. Historically, theroles assigned to deaconesses and women workers in the UnitedChurch were “. . .serving, helping, educating, nurturing--time-honoured activities of Christian women. In addition, the role ofthe diaconal worker was an appropriately behind-the—scenesrole. . . .which did not involve direct leadership and publicpresentations (particularly preaching), that would have beenconsidered unseemly behaviour for a woman.” (Glenys Huws, “DiaconalMinistry Training”, p.4)

In a church with centuries of male domination, the comment isstill heard that diaconal ministers ought to learn “their place”.This would be the place subordinate to the ordained, operating inthe sphere of education with restricted powers. But this is deeplyunacceptable to diaconal people. As one participant stated,”I don’twant to be seen as second class because I am a woman. It is a hardplace to be.” In recent decades the United Church has actedofficially to make diaconal ministry equal to ordained ministry.But what is stated officially is not yet what diaconal people areexperiencing.

Whether they are the sole ministry personnel or work in amultiple staff, diaconal people face a dilemma which centres aroundpower issues. To be recognized as equals, diaconal ministers findthat it is important for them to participate in the activities thechurch values, for instance in the leading of worship, includingthe sacraments. Diaconal minister are regularly granted the rightby Conferences, upon request of the congregation and presbytery, toadminister sacraments as an essential part of their ministry.Worship is a frequent place where the congregation gathers as awhole. To be visible in that setting as a capable leader is oneway diaconal ministers attempt to address the power imbalance.

In worship,~ diaconal ministers have the opportunity tointegrate educational ministry with liturgical ministry. As well,Sunday worship provides a place for diaconal people to become known

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by the whole congregation. In what they say, or in how they lead,they may gain the trust of lay members; however, if they are seento be doing what lay people do not do, they may be further “setapart” from lay people, the very people they seek to work with.Confusion sets in at another level as well. To be functioning inthe same areas as the ordained person blurs the distinctionsbetween diaconal and ordained ministry. They do the same things!And the question is asked, why do we have two forms of orderedministry?

Diaconal people in the focus group responded to the questionby pointing to the approach they take in ministry and the specialtraining they have for it. In the focus group they spoke ofdiaconal ministry as enabling, non-hierarchical, affirming of layministry, being with people where they are and empowering them,raising questions and holding out an alternative vision, beingprophetic, being “an evolving transforming presence”. Certainly itis not possible to claim this style as particular to diaconalministry because others may use it as well. Diaconal people wouldbe the first to encourage that.

While this style is not particular to diaconal ministry,diaconal ministers have a particular commitment to the non-hierarchical style of ministry, and it is part of the educationalpreparation for diaconal ministry. The current theological centresfor diaconal preparation insist upon a mutual style of ministry.Mutuality in ministry is a key concept in the educationalphilosophy of these programs and it is emphasized directly in theprocess of diaconal formation. Beyond the educational preparation,a diaconal network helps to reinforce one’s commitment to thismutual style of ministry. With ordained minithtry, the non-hierarchical style remains an option for those who choose it; theeducational preparation for ordination does not necessarilyguarantee a mutual style, nor is there a network in place tointentionally encourage such a style.

The conclusion is that the least problematic way to describediaconal ministry is to name its functions (education, service andpastoral care) because that is how the church structure definesdiaconal ministry. An explanation often starts there with aninterpretation of the diaconal functions and their place in thewhole of ministry. The functions legitimize diaconal ministrywithin the church, but the character and essence of diaconalministry cannot be described as merely the functions of ministry itassumes. Rather, the essence of diaconal ministry is itscommitment to a vision and a style of ministry (the ~q~y ministry isdone). While the functions are the only way the church has torecognize diaconal ministry formally, diaconal ministers findtheir identity informally through their style and vision ofministry.

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How We Relate to the Church

A Note of Explanation: The participants in this project areall diaconal ministers and they speak of their relationship toordained ministry out of their own experience. Ordainedministers may not recognize themselves. Some readers(ordained ministers) definitely did not see themselves in thisway. To them. it seemed like the representation of theordained was out of date. However, the words here emerge fromreal encounters in recent experience, and they are oftenpainful encounters. My conclusion is that some of ordainedministers act in the ways described here at least some ofthe time.

One participant found herself explaining diaconal ministers bywhat they are not: not ordained, and not lay. An understanding ofdiaconal ministry must include how it relates to the generalministry of the church.

The trend now is for diaconal ministers to become commissionedas a second career, later in life. Most have spent a considerablenumber of years as active lay people in the church. They comealready having a strong identity with lay ministry and thesocialization during preparation for becoming diaconal does notdestroy that bond with the laity. If anything; the bond isreinforced. Diaconal ministers talk about their primary task asenabling the ministry of the whole people of God.

At the same time, there is a recognition that getting a formaltheological education and receiving pay for ministry does setdiaconal people apart from lay people. Knowledge and money(salary) are indicators of having power. But diaconal people makean effort to use their power to empower others. The focus groupparticipants clearly state that they do no wish to be seen as “theexperts”, in a hierarchical sense, and they say this to others withwhom they work. They are convinced that the experience of the laypeople is the valid place to start, whether preaching or leading aneducational event or responding to a social crisis. Because oftheir belief in life-long learning, diaconal ministers continue tobe learners, ready to learn and receive ministry from others.

In the first focus group, the participants noticed that therewas a difference between how they approached ministry and howordained ministers approached ministry. (Inevitably, with noordained members present, there was a tendency to characterize theordained in general and more traditional terms, in order todelineate the contrast between “them” and “us”.) The role diaconalpeople see for themselves in relation to the church is a bridgingrole between the church and the world. In fact from early churchtimes, the diaconate has represented the intersection between thechurch and the world. Whether it is “bridge” or “intersection”, the

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traditional image for diaconal ministry is a “bringing together” ora “joining” of church and world. By comparison, ordained peopleare traditionally seen as operating inside the church at its centrein an intermediary role between people and God, the role of thepriest. The purpose of the bridge is to allow people to cross overand enter closer relationship. The purpose of the intermediary isto be a representative or a substitute, where it may not bepossible to have immediate relationship. An intermediary may “gobetween” or “speak for” and may even become a substitute forimmediate relationship. The bridging function, however, requiresbeing at the margins to work at closing the gap between people.

While the images described above are the traditional images,it is interesting that the diaconal folk were enthusiastic incontinuing to see themselves as a bridge between church and world.One diaconal minister (a reader) pointed out that this is a keyconcept in describing diaconal ministry. In this case, thehistorical image still fits. Informal discussion with ordainedfolk within the United Church, however, would lead me to expectthat most of them would take issue with the traditional image ofpriest, even though it is part of their history and it isreinforced by our present church policy on the sacraments.

Despite an evolving image for ordained ministers, diaconalpeople find that in working with ordained ministers, each of thetwo approaches may differ considerably in tone.. The diaconalminister walks beside the people, working with them and learningfrom them. As one diaconal minister put it, “This makes myrelationship with the ordained very difficult because we are ondifferent planes.” The different approaches to ministryfrequently involve different leadership styles. While there aremany styles of leadership to choose from, diaconal ministers leantowards using a shared leadership style wherever possible.Leadership style is all about how power is used. Traditionalauthoritarian leadership uses power over people or on behalf ofpeople, and this has been the primary model historically in ourchurch where the preacher, the priestly dispenser of sacraments, orthe lecturer (in theological education) held sway.

On the other hand, shared leadership is a sharing of power.It means involving the people actively and meaningfully. As onediaconal ministàr noted “It means really honouring, although I findthat difficult to do, really honouring where people are, and tryingto start there.” It is a ministry of enabling through helpingpeople identify what their needs are, what their gifts are and thenactively living out their ministries. Diaconal leadership tries toavoid concentrating power within the leader, and for this they maybe misunderstood.

Because of different models used in theological education,diaconal ministers often find that they have adopted a differentstyle of leadership from many ordained ministers. Tension results

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in those situations where a diaconal minister operates from astance of shared power and the ordained person is operating from astance of power over, or on behalf of others. (A difficulty here isthat I suspect ordained people no longer want to be seen in thetraditional power position, but as yet many do not know how to usea mutual style.) Lay people are most familiar with the power-overmodel. Our whole culture has had a long experience of thattraditional model, and only some lay people have had theopportunity to come to appreciate the value of a shared—power modelof ministry. Diaconal people find that they are caught in themiddle, with the task of convincing both lay people and ordainedpeople that there is another way to operate in ministry that mightbe more fulfilling for everyone.

One diaconal minister reported that when she described whatshe did around the church the lay people said, “But we do that too,only we don’t get paid for it!” Of course lay people are involvedin exactly the same kinds of activities as diaconal ministers: theyare educational church leaders, they are community workers, theyoffer support and care to one another, they participate in leadingworship. When diaconal ministers are hired by a congregation, theyexpect lay people to continue to be involved in all theseactivities, sharing the ministry together. From the lay point ofview, the question about salary may well be valid. Why should oneget paid while all do the work? From a diaconal viewpoint, thesalary is justified since they provide ongoing leadership withinthe congregation or agency (with specific time expectations setout), but it is a servant-leadership that may need interpretation.Diaconal people are not there to do ministry for the people, butwith the people. All need to be seen as equal participants in thecommunity.

The same idea carries over into the relationship betweendiaconal and ordained. From the diaconal perspective, there is anexpectation of working with the ordained in a collegial fashion.It is a team approach to ministry. Consequently, a source offrustration and disappointment for diaconal people is the prevalentnotion that there has to be a hierarchical model for leadershipwithin the church. Often it is phrased, “The buck has to stopsomewhere”, or “Someone has to make the final decision when thereis a disagreement”. When a strictly functional approach toministry is applied to teamwork, the ordained and diaconal eachwork in their own areas. Unfortunately, a separation of thefunctions strengthens the hierarchical model by placing more valueon certain functions, such as preaching or sacraments.

Through their education, diaconal people have experience withthe conthensus model of decision-making and with mutual teamapproaches to ministry. One person stated, “I’m much more inclinedto see them all [lay, diaconal, ordained] as complementary, atleast in the best of all possible worlds. There is a hell of a lotof ministry out there to be done and it’s not the purview of any

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one person or order. Some of us do this and some of us do this andsome of us do this, so let’s just get on about it! Incomplementarity, you just sit down and figure out who is going todo what and get about doing it.”

Complementarity presumes that there is a mutual recognitionfor what each brings to ministry. Diaconal ministers, however,find that they have to earn that recognition. Recognition goeswith power. Since diaconal ministers are committed to a particularunderstanding of power (shared power), they find that therecognition they need for leadership is slow in coming. Their usualexperience is to find themselves marginalized within the church.Ordained ministry has been the recognized model for many centuries.Frequently, diaconal ministry is seen as secondary, lower status,“women’s work”, and not quite “real ministry”. Diaconal people,many of whom are women, experience a dilemma at this point. Forthose who are feminists, they renounce any categorization thatplaces them in a second class position; yet by choosing diaconalministry, they have made a deliberate choice to join a class ofministers which the church clearly sees as inferior. An all-too-familiar question is: “And do you intend to go on and becomeordained?” By not choosing to become ordained, with theaccompanying status which goes with it, diaconal people are optingfor solidarity with all kinds of marginalized people, inside thechurch and globally. By choosing to be diaconal, marginalizâtionbecomes a “given” reality. As people prepare for diaconalministry, they encounter questions and attitudes from churchmembers and committees which alert them to this reality ofmarginalization. They may also hear stories from experienceddiaconal ministers giving further verification of it. Theexperience of most focus group participants, especially the morerecent graduates, was that by the time of commissioning they knewthey were entering a form of ministry “on the edge” of the church.

One participant discussed how she was referred to at herchurch. “They call me Associate Minister, but I don’t like that.My teammate [ordained] isn’t called Associate Minister. So I’mtrying to be called Diaconal Minister. Maybe it is the word, andthe problem of trying to get around the word [diaconal].” Yet theproblem is more complex than it first appears. While trying toachieve equality within the church, and do away withmarginalization for all, diaconal ministers are fearful that theywill be co-opted, or “bought off”, in any attempt to make themequal to the ordained. Some wonder if this has already happened,when diaconal ministers were made part of the order of ministry.This kind of equality may do away with the obvious marginalizationfor diaconal folk, but it comes at the price of joining theprivileged place in the hierarchy and losing the solidarity theyhave with other marginalized people. Diaconal ministers do notintend that marginalization be their fate, or anyone else’s; thestruggle is for larger transformation. No one is free until allare free. As one reader wrote, “Perhaps when the whole church

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recognizes its marginalization and we stand in solidarity as achurch with one another and with [marginalized] others, that willbe the time when we will not lose the ability to be with others..”

Because of their marginalization and the isolation, diaconalministers find that they truly need to be with one another to gainsupport and direction. In fact, one introduced herself to the groupas being too busy doing things and not having time to reflect onherself as a diaconal minister so that she was especially glad tocome to the focus group and use it as a place to sort this through.Another spoke of a national gathering of diaconal ministers as a“coming home experience”. She found there was common ground and noneed to explain who she was~ or what she was about. A thirddiaconal minister stated that she could not imagine what herministry would have been like without contact with other diaconalministers. During the years where there was no meeting of thediaconal association, she really felt the gap.

When the diaconal community gathers there is opportunity tore-think who they are as diaconal ministers and to examine theirroots within the deaconess movement. The history of being women inministry is vital to diaconal identity. In the focus groupconversations, however, some revealed an ambivalence towards thedeaconess movement as a time of servitude, instead of servanthood.As feminists, some wanted to reject the image of the bowl andtowel; others thought the image ought to be reclaimed. One readersuggested a way to re-image: instead of being the “friendlyservant”, diaconal ministers could think of themselves as the“serving friend.” A small change of wording, but a large change inthe image!

Our Vision for Ministry

Diaconal people in both focus groups started with theircommitment to justice for the world as the beginning point fortheir vision of ministry. Prophetic ministry becomes central.They speak of a facing injustice both inside and outside of thechurch, of critiquing oppressive social systems and creating aworld where fear and terror are supplanted by peace, justice andlove. The task of ministry is to assist people in discovering theirplace in the world, particularly to come to know themselves asincarnational beings and then to discern what they will do withthat. If ministry may be defined as doing God’s work of love andjustice in the world, then diaconal ministry is to be a catalystfor the involvement of the whole people of God in that work. Afundamental belief is that all people are called to ministry andthis “ministry of all” is the most important ministry. Orderedministry exists solely to enable this important ministry. Theleadership and organization provided by those in ordered ministryenlivens lay ministry in the world by offering spiritual sustenanceand the practical resources such as education, supportivestructures, and skills training.

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Inherent in this vision of ministry is a view of people asGod-bearers. People are gifts of God to one another, and need tobe honoured. One diaconal minister commented:

“I’m very keen on the theology of gifts of the people,enabling them to discover the gifts inside that they don’teven know yet and how they can share those - We all work atthis together. I believe very strongly that I see the imageof God in every person that we meet. I mean precisely that.The whole people of God is the whole people of God.”

A basic tenet of diaconal ministry is that people have a potentialto grow, an ability to learn, and a willingness to struggle. As abare assumption, it is not always true that people are willing tolearn or to struggle for justice. Then it becomes the diaconalchallenge to find ways to remove the blocks that keep such peoplein their complacency.

Another aspect of a diaconal vision for ministry is toconsciously confront the dualisms that have been part ofChristianity. For instance, the dualism of body/spirit or thedualism of mind/body tends to split the human personality inunhealthy ways. It sets up an inner hierarchy corresponding to asocietal hierarchy where domination is experienced in all aspectsof life. To work at dismantling dualisms is to work for thewholeness of all people.

Creation has a special place within this vision of ministry.God has given us what we need in creation, even though it isincomplete. With God imprinted in each one of us, we become co—creators. Each of us has growth potential and each is called to bepart of the whole growth towards a just world. To work towardssuch a vision is certainly demanding; it is even risky anddangerous. But it is not all heaviness. There is excitement,uplifting energy, and fun -- all elements of the search forjustice.

The phrase “evolving transforming presence” was one whichcaught on in the first focus group. For these diaconal ministersit became an apt description of their own place within the wholeministry. It involves working with the reality of “what is”, butalso looking beyond that reality to “what might become”. There isa constant need to bring a critique to the present reality,especially the critique from the underside (the marginalized). Andthere is a constant need to bring change based on that critique.

There was a remarkable coherence to the vision and theologyexpressed in the two focus groups. Perhaps a wider conversationwould have brought out greater diversity; yet, like diaconalidentity itself, the vision they hold for ministry is a developing,ongoing discussion among diaconal people.

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The Question Behind the Question

When diaconal ministers tell others what they do, it is notuncommon for them to get the response, “But I do that too.. -So?”Both lay people and ordained ministers have responded in this way.Lay people see that diaconal ministers do what is often done byvolunteers. Ordained ministers are more apt to rejoin “But I dothat too” when diaconal ministers talk about their role as enablersof the ministry of the whole people of God. While there is nointention to claim the enabling ministry solely for diaconalpeople, they do have particular education in how to enableindividuals and communities of people. I believe that what liesbehind the question is another question: What is the uniqueness ofdiaconal ministry?

With this assumption, I tested the question of uniqueness withboth focus groups. Discussion centred around a quote from adiaconal minister (involved in preparing focus group questions):“The uniqueness of diaconal ministry is that we are not unique!”In other words, there is nothing that belongs to diaconal peoplealone. Their very style of ministry ensures that they shareministry in a collaborative way. There is no aspect of ministrythat they possess. No licenses are handed out to permit persons todo educational ministry or service ministry in the way licenses arescrutinized for the ministry of the sacraments. In one focusgroup, they began to consider whether their job as diaconalministers might be to try to do themselves out of a job.

As the groups discussed how diaconal ministry might be seen asunique, they talked about the different emphasis, differenttraining, the different approach, the different style they bringto ministry, all of which focus on learning and doing ministrytogether. This word “different” becomes problematic. Does itreinforce the idea that the norm for ministry is the ordainedministry as it has been traditionally known? Certainly there aresignificant differences from traditional ordained ministry, butthey are not necessarily particular to diaconal ministry (as seenearlier in this paper). The same approach and style may be foundamong lay people and among the ordained. Diaconal people wouldhope for this. As one stated, “I have no wish for diaconal ministryto try to have a “corner” on non-hierarchical ministry. Hopefully,it should be as widespread as possible.” What is particular todiaconal ministry is a commitment to this non-hierarchical approachto ministry. As a group of ministers, the ordained have not beenas ready to “carry the torch” for a mutual approach to ministry inan explicit way. For them, the adoption of this approach isoptional; with diaconal people, it is part of how they identifythemselves. For the ordained, the privilege remains the samewhatever the style of ministry; with diaconal ministers there is aprice to pay for operating in a mutual style of ministry.

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Perhaps it is a unique mark of diaconal ministers that theyhave chosen to identify with the marginalized and consequently havebecome marginalized themselves within the church. Because theirtheology of ministry, they have made this as a conscious choice.And the choice is followed by a constant soul—searching about whothey are in ministry. The question was asked: Do other ministrygroups do this same soul-searching? There is something significantand positive in the soul-searching that is called for--arecognition that the answers to ministry are never easy, nor shouldthey be!

It became evident in the exchange of dialogue that the veryquestion,”What makes you unique?”, puts diaconal people in anadversarial relationship. They are being asked to stake a claim onsome aspect of ministry, and that polarizes the differentapproaches to ministry. Diaconal people find such a polarizationdistinctly unhelpful. Instead of seeking uniqueness, diaconal.ministers seek greater identification with lay folk, encouragingand affirming the ministry of the people in the world.

The effect of the question about uniqueness is to put diaconalpeople into a trap. Underneath the question is a challenge toprove their right to exist. Of course diaconal people want toimpress upon the church that there is a need for diaconal ministry.On the other hand, the question about uniqueness suggests that oncethe uniqueness is named, it can be categorized into a hierarchicalorder. Diaconal people want to avoid being placed in a secondclass, or having any ministry seen as second class. One diaconalminister spoke passionately:

“I just am so tired of the adversarial stuff and I get soticked off. I finally figured out that the reason I came outof those conversations feeling like my back was pushed againstthe wall was because the questions were in fact pushing meagainst the wall. It took a long time for me to be able toturn it around and answer the question differently. I’m justnot in it to be competitive, thank you very much!”

How often are ordained people asked the question, “What makesyour ministry unique?” This very question puts diaconal peopleinto a defensive posture, having to justify their ministry to thechurch. It is most certainly a place where diaconal peopleexperience marginalization. They are defined as different from thenorm, ordained ministry, and then are seen as being in oppositionto the status quo and regarded as a threat. There is a clearparallel here to the way women are defined as different from thenorm, the male experience, and then seen as threatening if theyclaim equality.

Diaconal ministers in the focus groups stated their wish to beseen as a valid ministry, not in opposition to ordained ministry.A more helpful way of expressing the difference between the various

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forms of ministry (lay, diaconal, ordained) is to see each of themas having a distinctive contribution, rather than a unique status.In the first section of this paper, some attention has already beengiven to the way diaconal ministers see their distinctivecontribution. Diaconal ministers speak of a particularunderstanding of power and use of power. Their chosen mandate isto enable the powerless to become powerful, not as dominators, butrather as partners.

Why Do We Have to Explain Ourselves All the Time?

Even when diaconal ministers have searched out their ownidentity and found words to describe that identity, they feelmisunderstood by others. The two focus groups tried to analysethis phenomenon, from the perspective of their own experience. Ofcourse, a full analysis of the difficulties in the communication ofdiaconal identity would have to include conversations with othergroups to discover why diaconal ministry seems to be “a mystery” tolay people, ordained people or non-church people. One might ask:what is so difficult to understand? And, don’t they want tounderstand?

Despite the fact that this -research study encompasses onlydiaconal people, the issue of being misunderstood is certainlyworth exploring. In fact, it has become part of the identity ofdiaconal ministers to acknowledge that they are misunderstood andmarginalized within the church. The formation of diaconalministers includes a coming to terms with a choice that meansmarginalization, and with the expectation that wherever they go,they will need to explain themselves.

In the discussion, the focus, groups were able to pinpointseveral obstacles which prevent others from understanding them:

1) The sheer fact of numbers. Across Canada currently thereare only 120 active diaconal ministers serving pastoral charges andspecialized ministries, with another 135 either retired or inpositions outside church institutions. This makes for a total of255 compared with a total of 3,733 ordained ministers. Not manychurch members have encountered a diaconal minister. Fewer stillhave had opportunities to work with a diaconal minister. They allknow what an ordained ministers is, and this is their onlyreference point. The lack of models for diaconal ministry is asevere obstacle in communicating its essence.

2) Those who have come to know diaconal ministers may notrealize how much of their style is simply personality and how muchof it is their commitment to a diaconal approach. One diaconalminister questioned this for herself, “How do I know how much of mystyle is just me, and how much is being diaconal?” This led to aninteresting discussion about whether diaconal ministry attracts acertain personality type, more oriented towards a shared approach

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to ministry. Personality does help to determine the ministrychoice.

3) The ignorance about diaconal ministry among United Churchmembers may be part of a larger issue——lack of information aboutmany aspects of the structural church (presbyteries, conferences,national committees). One person stated,”We really haven’t beengood communicators”. Representatives to the church courts, forexample, have not educated the membership. The membership, fortheir part, seldom have interest beyond their own congregationalborders.

4) The institution of the United Church has a problemrecognizing and incorporating diaconal ministry, especially thoseplaces of ministry outside the congregation. Social ministries,for instance, report having a more difficult time securingpresbytery approval. Yet even within congregational ministries,diaconal candidates continue to report acute dissatisfaction withsettlement procedures especially when this process has difficultyfinding diaconal positions or team positions.

5) For those outside the United Church or for ecumenicalsettings, there is a special difficulty. The United Church has itsown history and development of diaconal ministry which has led tocertain specialities and a philosophy that baffles otherdenominations. Diaconal ministers working in ecumenical ministriesor community agencies find that they have a larger educational taskto explain themselves.

6) People do not understand a ministry to be real ministryunless it includes what ordained people do, such as performing thesacraments. For some, sacramental ministry is the only model theyknow and the sacraments appear to validate the ministry. Thisseems to be a test question, and diaconal ministers hear it often:“Can you give the sacraments?” As the only well—known form ofministry, the ordained ministry is the norm for what constitutes“real” ministry. Not only does this deny that diaconal ministry isreal ministry, it denies the validity of lay ministry as well.

7) Visibility is an issue for diaconal ministers. Much of theministry diaconal people do is to provide a supportive role toothers in their ministry--a “behind the scenes” approach. Tocompensate for the lack in visibility in congregations, diaconalministers have to ensure that they participate in leadership roleswhere others will see them as ministers. In community ministries,it is even more of an issue, since there may be no natural platformfor visible leadership.

8) Because diaconal ministers often work in multiple staffpositions, the congregation must learn to make sense of having twoministers, but with different emphases. The two emphases might bedelineated in terms of the differences of specialty in ministry

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(namely, word and sacrament, or education and service), but asnoted earlier, diaconal people would express their emphasis more interms of approach to ministry (style and vision). Incongregational life, more weight and value is assigned to theordained specialties of word and sacrament and more authorityaccompanies that form of ministry. The diaconal minister tends tobe regarded as the assistant minister, with the false impression ofbeing assistant to “the minister”. The issue is exacerbated if thediaconal minister is part-time. Congregational members do notaccord the diaconal minister the same authority when s/he is notthere every day. Without such authority, diaconal ministry is notseen or accepted as an equal and complementary ministry.

9) Because diaconal ministry is not as highly valued as otherforms of ministry, there is less attempt to understand it andpromote it. There is complication with male/female heritage. Oftendiaconal ministry is seen as women’s work (eg. educational ministrywith children), and consequently devalued. Despite the stridestaken by the United Church, the model of male authority is stilldeeply entrenched and sexism remains a strong obstacle to theappreciation of diaconal ministry.

“We live in a society where public authority is granted muchless readily and less cheerfully to women than to men, and inthe church this phenomenon is reflected in the wayrelationships have been structured between diaconal andordained ministers.” (Glenys Huws, Voice, Vision, and Space:Women and Transformative Education, p. 246)

10) The style of diaconal ministry is basically a feministapproach, drawing on the feminist principles of mutuality, asopposed to hierarchy. Because there is an association of diaconalministry with feminism and because the overwhelming number ofdiaconal ministers are women, some people react to diaconalministry as a group of feminists. The Centre for ChristianStudies, which has educated most of the diaconal ministers in thepast, has a reputation for being an institution with a feministperspective and everyone who has studied at the Centre is regardedwith raised eyebrows by those who are suspicious of feminism.This, too, makes for an obstacle in communication. Feminists, onthe other hand; would likely have a basis for an understandingdiaconal ministry.

11) Any understanding of a non-hierarchical approach isdifficult for many people to appreciate. Society at large operatesin a hierarchical manner and this approach is all that many peoplehave known. Shared leadership and shared power is not onlyunfamiliar within the church, it is unwelcome because it does notseem like leadership; it “unseats the mighty from their thrones”.From a broader perspective, it can be maintained that the wholehistory of patriarchy (ie. widely accepted power of men as a groupto name and control social relations) mitigates against the

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acceptance of diaconal ministry. Where it is not accepted, ittends to be misunderstood or even maligned. The obstacle here isthat diaconal ministry has a different approach in the use ofpower.

12) Diaconal ministry may not be able to be understood withoutsome first-hand experience of it. Even then, there has to be awillingness to unlearn past conceptions while learning newconceptions of ministry. This is not simply an intellectualunderstanding. People have to be open to involvement in a deeperway with diaconal ministry, to come to understand it at a “gutlevel”. It seems to require a “conversion” from the traditionalunderstandings of ministry as one person’s sacramental calling, tothe view of ministry as a mutual calling of all God’s people.

As one diaconal minister put it, the main reason for all theobstacles to understanding and appreciating diaconal ministry isthat “They don’t really want to know!” Both personally andinstitutionally, they don’t really want to know. Personally,people have a way of warding of f what they do not want to know bymasking their resistance as “confusion” . They may have understooddiaconal ministry all too well! The emerging insight is thatothers have to want to understand diaconal ministry and to bewilling to unlearn past conceptions of ministry. Institutionally,to truly accept diaconal ministry means that the church will haveto be prepared for a revolution in ministry. The sharing of powerthrough a mutuality in ministry marks a radically differentapproach from the current church where “the minister” has not yetbeen removed from the pedestal. The task for diaconal people is tocultivate that willingness for a mutual and collegial approach toministry both in themselves and in others.

A corollary to the statement,”They don’t really want to know”is the possibility that in some circumstances, diaconal ministers“don’t want them to know”. One diaconal minister wrote back in hercomments: “To survive out there, we do what we can, but we don’tbroadcast who we are or what we are about because, in fact, we aresubversive.” If diaconal ministers sense resistance to the changesthey represent, they move about more quietly to work for changefrom within.

CONCLUDING INSIGHTS

Diaconal ministers have constantly been at work defining theiridentity. They have been forced to work at this by the need toexplain themselves to the church. Yet the soul- searching has itsbenefits. The gain has been an evolving dynamic sense of identityand an accompanying theology of egalitarian ministry.

Even though diaconal ministers may have found words andconcepts to describe the essence of diaconal ministry (for thepresent time!), the result is something like jargon where only

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people on the inside track seem to know the meanings. Formation indiaconal ministry needs to include formation in communicating theessence of diaconal ministry along with an invitation to join inthis ministry whether lay, ordained, or diaconal. It is extremelyimportant that diaconal ministers avoid alienating those peopleamong the lay and ordained who could be their friends andsupporters within the church.

The church structures, by their very nature, can onlyunderstand diaconal ministry functionally, in terms of the specificassignments of education, service, and pastoral care. These tasksin themselves do not provide diaconal identity, however. Diaconalministers find their identity much more in the style and thevision of ministry they have adopted, which affects how they do allthe tasks of ministry. They know that they are not unique in theapproach they take, and it is not their wish to be unique! Becausediaconal people see themselves as an evolving transformingpresence, this has to be an shared ministry, not an exclusiveministry. In fact their role is to be a reminder to the wholechurch of its shared diaconal ministry.

Marginalization is certainly the experience of diaconalministers in relation to the church. The insight which arises isthat marginalization is the visible result of other forces at workwithin the church, namely, sexism and clericalism. When diaconalministry is not seen to be the norm (i.e.male ordained) or not seento be functioning in accordance with the norm (i.e.subordinate tothe male ordained), then diaconal ministry has the potential tobecome subversive. It is a challenge to the patriarchalarrangement of clergy/lay. The parts of the church that wish topreserve the old order attempt to either keep diaconal ministry inits (subordinate) place, or to disregard it (giving it no placewithin the church). Diaconal people experience both the second-class role and the invisibility of their ministry asmarginalization. An image may help to express this analysis:clericalism and sexism intertwine as two roots of a weed, with themarginalization of diaconal ministry spreading out as the visiblebranches and leaves. The soil in which this weed grows ispatriarchy.

A final insight is that there is a reason for the church’sdifficulty in finding a place for diaconal ministry within its

structures. Diaconal ministry does not readily “fit” because itposes a challenge to the past practice of ministry in the UnitedChurch, and calls for new ways of being the church. It is thechallenge that comes from the margins and from the commitment topeople on the margins. It is the challenge to dismantle privilegedstatus and hierarchy inside and outside of the church. It is thechallenge to pull the church from the centre of the status quo ontothe margins of society. It is the prophetic challenge to practicejustice and to create justice throughout the church and world.

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IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION

In the formation of diaconal ministry, there needs to beclarity about identity,and a way to begin practising it. Somestudents decide on diaconal ministry based on their abilities andinterest in the functions of diaconal ministry; other students areattracted to diaconal ministry based on what it stands for withinministry, its style and vision. Clarity needs to be given to bothaspects. With the functions, it is essential that a broadunderstanding be taught, just as the participants in the focusgroups spoke about their role in broadening the understanding ofthe functions within the congregations and agencies they served.The educational program and specific courses need to address anexpanded concept of Christian Education, pastoral care, and socialministry. The style and vision of diaconal ministry needs specialemphasis during the education of diaconal ministers since that iswhere diaconal ministers find their identity. This is not simplya matter of explaining what the style or vision is (collegial, non-hierarchal) but it will entail initiating people into that styleand vision so that they can operate in those ways and adopt themfor their own.

During their education to become diaconal ministers, peopleneed to be assisted to find words to describe their chosen ministryin ways that others can comprehend and relate to. Courses andpapers often assist students in finding the theological conceptsfor ministry. That task must still go on, but in addition, thereneeds to be attention given in speaking to lay people many of whomhave never met diaconal ministers.

Diaconal ministers must become advocates for diaconalministry, and their educational program needs to deliberately offersupport for this role. During their candidacy process, in fieldplacements, and in home settings, students encounter people whohave not grasped the essence of diaconal ministry or who may be outof date. Students, then, will need not only the communicationskills to explain diaconal ministry, but they will need the self-assertion to affirm its validity in the face of potentialhostility. In situations of advocacy it will be vitally importantfor diaconal students to have gained an approach which does notalienate others, but also does not compromise the vision ofministry that diaconal people embrace.

Networking is central to diaconal ministry for its verysurvival. This is a skill and an attitude which can be taughtwithin the educational program through working consultatively ingroups and teams. It entails learning to operate interdependentlywith others and to find support when needed. Specific preparationneeds to be given for students to make the transition, upongraduation, from the school’s support network to the diaconalnetwork.

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A crucial element of the education for diaconal ministry needsto be the preparation for living within the church or society in amarginalized position. Certainly education will need to include athorough social analysis of the roots of this marginalization.People will need to be informed that their choice to become adiaconal minister involves taking on a prophetic stance, callingthe church and society into just relationships. Such a stance isnot popular where significant change must be made. Along withskills in analysis, the program will need to provide students withworkable strategies, and opportunities to develop astuteness.

This paper has documented the ways in which diaconal. ministrydoes not “f it” the church. Students entering diaconal ministryfind that they do not ‘f it” either. For some, this is a transitionfrom the centre to the margins; for others, it is discovering moreconnections out on the margins. The educational implication here isthat students need assistance in learning how to live on themargins. An educational program can assist them through providinginformation, options, and skill-training. For those who are optingnot to “fit”, there needs to be a survival kit made up of theskills listed above: finding support, developing clarity, assertionwithout alienation, learning analysis, strategies and astuteness.

A survival kit made up of these skills will help diaconalministers to maintain vision in all kinds of situations. A furthereducational implication, then, is to lift up the vision. Diaconalministry does have a place in the church, after all. It is a placeof nurture and challenge. While diaconal ministry nurtures thegifts of all the members in ministry, it also calls the church totruly be the church, a community practising love and justice in theworld.

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IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

Introduction

To complete this project there was an implementation phasewith students in my work setting at the Centre for ChristianStudies. During the academic year following the writing of thepaper, I continued the project in the form of testing it out withstudents. I wanted to discover whether the way in which theproject articulated diaconal ministry was able to be communicatedto students and whether they would find it to be of benefit intheir vocational exploration. In addition, I wanted to find outwhether the analysis of marginalization within the churchcontributed to their own understanding of how they are perceived bythe church and whether they might generate further insights forthis analysis.

With these objectives in mind, I set myself some educationaltasks. As well, I contracted with Ann Naylor to have at leastseven supervision sessions over the course of the year to assist mein applying the concepts of this project.

Educational Tasks

1. To communicate an articulate concept of diaconal ministry a) forourselves as diaconal ministers and b) for others.

It is obvious that diaconal ministers need to be clear aboutwho we are. In setting this task I wanted to discuss identity, notonly as we see ourselves as diaconal ministers, but also as wewould present ourselves to others within or outside the UnitedChurch.

2. To share insights of the research leading up to this paper.Three specific insights were important to share with students

in the process of developing their own diaconal identity. a) thatdiaconal identity lies in style and vision, more than in functionb) that trying to see diaconal identity as unique within the churchis indeed a trap c) that there is an analysis of the experience ofmarginalization which diaconal ministers have in the United Church.

3. To assist students in becoming advocates for diaconal ministryIn the process of candidacy students often must advocate for

the validity of diaconal ministry with the committee members whoare unsure, and perhaps even hostile to diaconal ministry. Toequip students to deal with a church system which has not beenaffirming of diaconal ministry requires a) that they know thechurch system, and b) that they have an analysis of power and howpower functions c) that they develop skills in self-assertion.

4. To begin to develop skills for networking.Support systems prove to be invaluable for people on the

margins. Skills for networking become skills for survival in

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diaconal ministry. My hope in this educational task of learningnetworking skills was to emphasize and extend the learning which isalready part of the CCS curriculum. Specifically, I hoped toextend the learning about intètdependence and consultation from arelational basis to a systemic basis within the church.

5. To offer a survival kit for “living on the edge”.“Living on the Edge” was the title of a biennial gathering of

IDiakonia of the United Church, held at the Centre for ChristianStudies in 1990. It was an apt image for diaconal ministry. Asurvival kit for living on the edge would contain skills andabilities for the following: maintaining vision, finding support,networking, becoming advocates, assertion without alienation,analysis, strategies.

All of these skills and abilities are part of the program atCCS. By placing them together with an image of the survival kit,I hoped to raise awareness of how such skills and abilities areindeed life issues for diaconal ministers. I did not necessarilyplan to use the image of survival with students but it was helpfulin my own imagination and in planning.

Places for Implementation

The diaconal cluster at CCS offered a place for directimplementation of my educational tasks. As the staff person forthis cluster I could plan to make opportunities for my own agendaaround this diagonal project. At the same time, I was convincedthat my agenda was a central agenda for the diaconal cluster quiteapart from any research benefits. These question of identity andanalysis of marginalization and power operating within the UnitedChurch were key issues to be addressing in any year with studentsintending to become diaconal ministers.

The courses I facilitated also offered potential forimplementation of my educational tasks. I hoped to relatediscussions and analyses specifically to diaconal ministryidentity. As well, in the journals, reflections, and integrativepapers, I wanted to note the extent to which students identifiedclearly with a diaconal expression of ministry.

Informally I expected that I might be consulted by students asthey prepared to interpret diaconal min.istry in various church orcommittee settings. As well, I expected that students consideringdiaconal ministry might have conversations with me in a counsellingmode concerning their vocational decisions.

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Observations and Learnings from the Implementation Phase

The diaconal cluster includes all students in the candidacyprocess for commissioning in the United Church. It meets onceevery three weeks. At the beginning of each year, the clusterdetermines questions and issues to explore. As part of the cluster,I included my own agenda of the educational tasks listed above.Students readily agreed to include it along with other concerns,such as settlement issues, presbytery and conference interviews,team ministry and the history of the diaconal movement.

There were two specific occasions for the sharing of thisdiaconal project. The first was a session dealing with diaconalministry identity and how we communicate that. I found that manyof the words used by students to describe diaconal ministry werethe same or similar to the words used by members of the two focusgroups. During the last part of the session we focused oncommunicating our identity with others. We divided into subgroups to have each group prepare suggestions for communicatingwhat it is to be a diaconal minister to 1) children of the church2) relatives outside the United Church 3) United Church Women 4)ordained ministers. The most difficult groups were (4) theordained ministers and (2) the relatives from a different church orreligion. While explanation was painstaking for the relatives, thematter of communicating with ordained raised issues of whether theclaims of diaconal ministry are in fact a direct challenge toordained ministry. We discussed the question, often raised byordained people, as to whether diaconal ministry ought to exist ifordained ministers also see themselves as enablers of the wholefaith community. The group that became the most creative were theones communicating to children. They made use of a story, “TheStone Soup”, to make the statement that diaconal ministers try tosupport and enhance lay ministry, the flavouring in the soup whichincreases the taste of each ingredient. At the conclusion of thissession I was clearly satisfied that the cluster students had wordsand concepts for diaconal ministry, along with an acute sense ofthe need to adapt these words and concepts for specific situations.

The second specific occasion came when the cluster consideredthe research findings. These were referred to more than once, butfor this session we chose to work at analysing the marginalizationof diaconal ministry in the United Church. This session became adiscussion of the items listed in the analysis section of thisresearch paper. Clearly, the cluster was aware of marginalizationand many told of instances they had already encountered throughreactions of others when they announced their choice for diaconalministry. They agreed with the analysis of the focus groupsgenerally and were particularly interested in analysing the powerissues which led to diaconal ministry being seen as a “lesser”ministry. As well, they discussed the “catch 22” of seeking statusfor the sake of equality but not wanting hierarchical power.

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The third educational task of becoming advocates did not havea specific session, yet the cluster worked at advocacy for diaconalministry in several ways. Becoming familiar with the church systemwas an important concern of the cluster members. Invited guestscame to discuss the candidacy processes, preparation forinterviews, and settle procedures. The students learned how thechurch system functions formally, and to some degree how itfunctions informally. As well, they developed ideas throughdiscussion and questions as to what their rights were and how theymight appropriately act in their own best interests. A major issuewas how to handle the question: “Are you in essential agreementwith the Basis of Union?” For most students the Basis of Union isan archaic formulation of faith which does not express theircurrent faith. Ideas for self—assertion certainly emerged in allof these interchanges.

While students in Core-Field II were definitely learningnetworking skills these skills did not receive a special time onthe agenda for the diaconal cluster. (Educational task:networking).

With regard to the image of the survival kit, I did not expectthe cluster to deal directly with survival skills. It became partof the agenda, however, when we used the idea of a presentingsurvival kits as a “send off” to the students graduating this year.The exercise of putting together a survival kit became a test ofhow the cluster would name diaconal ministry as a marginalizedministry. On the page following, the list of words and symbolsoffered by the cluster affirmed their consciousness around theimportance of networking, of maintaining vision, and of findingways to support oneself.

C

NETWORK

SURVIVAL KIT

SENSE OF VISION

SKIN MEDITATION TAPE CO RAGE

COMMUNITY OF SUPPOR

PEO LE

LEARNING PARTNER KLEEt~4

HA LELU3AH[ FLOWER (growth)l FLEXIBI ITY

DATE BOOK FOR MEETINGS ISPARI~ING IDEAS SLEEPç

S NSE OF HUMOUR CONTINUEr~ LEARNING

GOD ;Box (to put concerns in)

C NNECTION TO THOSE WHO HAVE G4)NE BEFORE

PERSOS~A~UPPORT AND NURTJJRE

ORE SKILLS: PLANNING AND TRAINING

WOMEN’S WISDOM (ways of knowing and being)

SENSE OF “BEAUTY”

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In other places beyond the diaconal cluster the implementationof my research was much less direct, and I myself was much lessdeliberate. I am aware now of an ecumenical difference betweencluster sessions and class/seminar sessions where I mentiondiaconal ministry less •frequently. My approach in class/seminarbecomes more general since it includes Anglicans and otherdenominations, along with students who are choosing to be layprofessional ministers. Because of the composition of theclass/seminar, I view my staff mandate as encouraging ministryidentity, including diaconal identity, but not as the only focus.

Through this implementation phase, I have become acutely awareof my own need to find ways to speak affirmatively of diaconalministry while also supporting others in their choices forministry.

In the curriculum of the course “Education and Pastoral Care”and the subject areas for Field there certainly were opportunitiesfor power analysis on many occasions. One session of EPC dealtwith “Power Elements in Educational Ministry” and a Fieldreflection of “Power” included assigned readings on the analysis ofpower in ministry settings. I feel confident these program areasdid provide for the kind of learning I was seeking as part of theeducational tasks I set myself for the implementation phase.

Student assignments were another place where I hoped to findan articulation of diaconal ministry. I confess that I have somefrustration that there was no way to “measure” the ability ofstudents to articulate diaconal ministry. Several people in theirfinal assignments referred to diaconal ministry, or specificallyidentified with diaconal ministry. Some mentioned ways in whichthey educated others about diaconal ministry. One student includeddiaconal ministry as part of her analysis of gender in ministry.For many, the emphasis was to empower or encourage laity and thiswas seen as the heart of diaconal ministry.

Diaconal ministry appeared in many assignments, but in fact,I was somewhat surprised that it was not named more often. Perhapsthis is simply a function of my own subjectivity as I tried to bealert to diaconal ministry identity in students. Perhaps studentsdid not see the need to write about diaconal ministry specifically;it might seem like stating the obvious.

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Summary of the Implementation Phase

The value of the implementation phase was that the researchproject became a resource for a whole group of people. I becamemore deliberate and more watchful about clarifying, supporting, andadvocating for diaconal ministry. Students gained insight andbecame more articulate about a diaconal perspective on ministry.While they did not add new material to the research, I feelconfident that they found it beneficial in their development asdiaconal ministers.

Through this year I sensed that a commitment and excitementabout diaconal ministry was fostered. From the diaconal clusterI discovered that the students valued the increased attention todiaconal ministry. In their evaluation of the diaconal clustergatherings, students affirmed that it was essential to have a placeto talk about diaconal ministry--about what is good and what istough in diaconal ministry. To graduate and become a minority inthe church means that they needed the networking and support theybegan in this setting.

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QUESTIONS AND ISSUES EMERGING FROM THIS PROJECT

As this project developed over time, certain questions andissues began to cry out to be addressed. In conversation andcorrespondence with readers, in interaction with students, andparticularly in supervision with Ann Naylor, the discussion led todeeper unresolved issues surrounding diaconal ministry in theUnited Church.

In my own mind, these questions and issues are large. I beganto realize that to deal seriously with them was beyond the limitedscope of this project. They require considerable research andinvestigation as well as more reading. To try to include adiscussion of these issues would entail beginning all over again.Instead, to stay true to my initial research design and to honourthe responses of the participants in the focus groups, I havechosen to offer the project in its present form and to set out theemerging questions and issues for a future consideration.

Questions/Issues

1. is it possible to be diaconal and be happy in ministry? Whatwould fulfilment for a diaconal minister look like?

At first glance, this may seem like a frivolous question. Yetthe wide-spread pain of diaconal ministers serving the church makesthe question very real and pertinent. One diaconal minister saidthat she cries every time someone is commissioned during the annualconference service of ordination and commissioning. Her tears arein anticipation of the pain the woman or man will experiencebecause of this choice of ministry. Diaconal commitment is to aministry which is largely unrecognized, misunderstood, and devalued. To maintain such a commitment may mean an acceptance ofongoing pain within the life of the church, in order to lift up anapproach to ministry which one deeply believes the church needs.

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Another way to phrase the question is to ask: how would onedescribe a situation where diaconal ministry was being fulfilled?This project points to the ideals and hopes carried by diaconalministers. For these to be realized would mean an enormous changein way people in the church relate with each other and with othersin the world. It would mean living out the gospel more faithfully.

Some further questions occur: to what extent isit possible tolive diaconally, or to live in the style of Jesus’ ministry? Howmight the church move more in this direction? How might diaconalministers assist in this movement? How might the diaconal visionbe maintained during the long haul?

2. Do we experience “difference” as “threat”? Is it possible tohave a distinction in ministry existing side-by-side withoutplacing ministry roles in an up-down schema?

A lawyer stated the following premise to me during apresbytery meeting-—that wherever there are two designations or twocategories, one is always seen to be superior. He claimed there isa tendency in human nature to discover the “best one” or the “rightway”. At first I put this down to his adversarial training, but nodoubt it is larger than that. It is part of the patriarchalthinking which is pervasive in our culture. In relation to the twogenders, this principle has been operative for centuries, with menreceiving the privilege of superiority over women. Within thechurch’s expressions of ministry diaconal ministry has beenevaluated against the norm of ordained ministry which is usuallyseen to be superior.

In this project participants referred to diaconal ministry andeducational preparation as “different”. Is this an indication ofan acknowledgement that ordained ministry is the norm for ministry?How can such a norm be erased? Is it not possible for diaconalministers to claim our own ministry as valid without reference toordained?

In the later seventies and early eighties, diaconal ministerswere seen as “complementary” to ordained ministers.“Complementarity” was adopted as a helpful word in establishingequality and mutuality. Instead, that word has undone equality,at least for diaconal ministers. The ordained were never seen as“complementary” to diaconal. The message conveyed was thatdiaconal ministers were incomplete, yet ordained ministers werecomplete in themselves to function in ministry.

The relationship between diaconal and ordained ministriespoints to a larger question: How do we deal with difference? Doesencountering difference necessarily mean there is threat? Anordained man asked some diaconal ministers whether they existedmainly to critique ordained ministry. This is an astute question,

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and one that needs to be addressed in diaconal circles. Bothdiaconal and ordained personnel need to examine how to relate tothe “other”.

3. How can diaconal ministers claim distinctiveness when there isan increasing blurring between ministries?

The issue here is how to claim identity for diaconal ministerswhen the distinction between diaconal and other ministries isbecoming blurred. As this project has discovered, the identity fordiaconal ministers is found in the style and vision of diaconalministry, rather than in the functions of that ministry. Yetdiaconal ministry is legitimated in church structures by itsfunctions. The problem is exacerbated by the needs of the churchplacing a number of diaconal ministers in settings where there isonly one paid staff, usually a “word and sacrament” staff. It hasalso been the choice of some diaconal ministers t? serve insettings as the only paid staff. Both in cases of settlement andof choice to work as the sole paid minister, most conferences arenow granting licenses to diaconal ministers for the sacraments.Generally diaconal ministers support this extension of diaconalministry into the wider functions of paid ministry. In diaconalgatherings discussions include how to work at doing generalministry from a diaconal perspective. For instance, the leadershipof worship can be seen as diaconal ministry-—educational, pastoral,community—building, promoting of transformation.

The question becomes; is it possible to argue the case fordiaconal ministry, not from the standpoint of specializedfunctions, but from the standpoint of diaconal perspective? Suchan argument is problematic, since the church structures canvalidate functions needed in ministry, but have not designated thestyles or perspectives of ministry. To this point, churchstructure has only understood and used “functions” as thedistinguishing marks of ministry. It is much harder, perhapsimpossible, for an organization to distinguish ministries by theconcept of “style”.

Another issue arises from the increasing blurring ofministries. Ordained ministers may choose to operate in a stylesimilar to diaconal ministry perspective, with collaboration,mutuality and empowerment of the ministry of all people. Inwelcoming the increased attention to this style of ministry fromordained personnel, do diaconal ministers lose the identity theygain from this perspective? Is the very thing they seek (wideracceptance of diaconal style) a threat to their own existence?

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4. Diaconal ministers have been placed on the margins of thechurch, but do they want to stay there? How does marginalizationconnect to transformation?

A book From Margin to Centre by bell hooks, a feminist writer,has been suggested as further background for this question. Inthis book she argues that feminist theory must encompass theexperience of women on the margins, such as black women. This“parallel experience’ might assist with the dilemma diaconalministers experience in responding to their own marginalization.

As this project portrays, diaconal ministers experiencethemselves to be on the margins of the United Church, bothstructurally and ideologically. In one sense, there is a choice tobe marginalized, when one enters into diaconal ministry or remainsin diaconal ministry knowing that this is a “less acceptable”ministry within the church. In this case, it is the church,through ignorance and neglect, which has created themarginalization. Diaconal people may recognize that this is wherethe church puts them, but may also resist this marginalization.

The dilemma becomes whether to try to move to the centre ofpower, or whether to try to help the whole church operate from themargins. A move to the centre might be to become ordained or tofind ways to enhance the status of diaconal ministers. However,this may simply be the temptation of hierarchical thinking. Anotheroption is to insist on the margins, to try to assist the church tobe in solidarity with marginalized people everywhere.

From its beginning diaconal ministry has been focused on thepoor and marginalized. Yet the vision of justice is formarginalization to be removed, for all to be included in thecircle. Perhaps the identification of diaconal ministers with themarginalized is a temporary identification in a long term ~tision oftransformation.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnett, James M. The Diaconate: A Full and Equal Order. New York:Seabury Press, 1981.

Committee on Diaconal Ministry. Diaconal Ministry: All AboutDiaconal Ministry in the United Church of Canada. Toronto:Divisiqn of Ministry Personnel and Education of the United Churchof Canada.

van Kinken, Jaap. Diakonia: Mutual Helping with Justice andCompassion.

Educated Ministry/Diaconal Ministry Task Group. Educated Ministry:Diaconal Ministry. Toronto: Division of Ministry Personnel andEducation of the United Church of Canada, 1988.

Elliot, Barb. “Thoughts Re The Validity and Distinctiveness ofDiaconal/commissioned Ministry”. Unpublished paper, 1980.

Hardy, Nancy E. Called to Serve:A Story of Diaconal Ministry in theUnited Church of Canada. Toronto: Division of Ministry, Personneland Education of the United Church of Canada, 1985.

Huws, Glenys M. “Diaconal Ministry Training: A pattern of sociallyacceptable education for women”. Unpublished paper, 1984.

Huws, Glenys M. Voice. Vision and Space: Women and TransformativeEducation. Unpub.lished thesis submitted for Doctor of Education,University of Toronto, Department of Education, 1990.

Keller, Rosemary S., Gerald F. Moede, Mary Elizabeth Moore. Calledto Serve: The United Methodist Diaconate. Nashville: UnitedMethodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, 1987.

RESEARCH BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fetterman, David. Ethnography Step by Step. Newbury Park,California: Sage Publications, 1989

Greenbaum, Thomas L. The Practical Handbook and Guide to FocusGroup Research. Toronto: D. Heath and Co., 1988

Kreuger, Richard A. Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for AppliedResearch. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, 1988

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Appendix 1PARTICIPANTS IN THIS RESEARCH PROJECT

Diaconal consultants:Betty MarlinTeresa JonesAnn Naylor

Supervisor: -

Merlin Wahlstrom, Ontario Studies in Education

Participants in the focus groups:Linda Found Lynda TronoMargaret Quigley Wendy HuntRussell WalkerElaine BarberEdna MillerSue Taylor

Selected Readers:Cheryl KirkDavid KaiAlyson Huntly

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Appendix 2MODERATOR’S GUIDE

WHAT ARE THE KEY ASPECTS OF YOUR JOB (JOB DESCRIPTION) WHAT AREYOU TRYING TO DO? (Beginning sharing, vision of ministry)What do you see yourself needing to be about as a diaconal ministerin the church/world?WHAT DOES “DIACONAL” MEAN TO YOU? WHAT PART OF WHAT YOU DO AFFIRMSWHO YOU ARE AS A DIACONAL MINISTER? (ENABLES YOU TO EMBODY DIACONALMINISTRY) (Identify diaconal)What aspects of education, service and pastoral care do you like?What ways in which you go about doing those aspects of your job arediaconal?WHAT ASPECTS OF DIACONAL MINISTRY DO YOU FIND MOST DIFFICULT? WHATPART OF DIACONAL MINISTRY ARE YOU NOT ABLE TO DO? (completeidentification of diaconal) What part of what you do raisesquestions about who you are as a diaconal minister? What do youdislike about diaconal ministry? What is the significance of thatfor diaconal ministry?

APART FROM THE TASKS YOU DO AND THE WAY YOU DO THEM, IS THERE ABELIEF SYSTEM YOU HOLD THAT SPEAKS OF DIACONAL MINISTRY?(assumptions of diaconal ministry, theological underpinnings)How is the call of God present in diaconal ministry?

WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES PREVENTING OTHERS FROM UNDERSTANDING ANDAPPRECIATING DIACONAL MINISTRY? (group analysis ofmisunderstanding) If the church were yours to change, what wouldyou do?HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A DIACONAL MINISTER IN RELATIONS TOOTHER MINISTRIES--ORDAINED MINISTRY AND MINISTRY OF THE WHOLEPEOPLE? (Identity through relationship; understandings andmisunderstandings) What is the significance of “order of ministry”for you? What are your feelings around having or not havingsacramental privilege?

WHAT IS YOUR FORM OF CONTACT WITH THE DIACONAL MOVEMENT (LOCAL,NATIONAL, GLOBAL, HISTORICAL) OR WITH OTHER DIACONAL MINISTERS?WHAT EFFECT DOES THIS HAVE IN YOUR MINISTRY OF YOUR DIACONAL STYLE?(commitment to the movement; degree of communal approach)What from the, historical tradition informs you? What, ifanything, is important to carry forward? What are thebenefits/drawbacks of diaconal ministry roots being a woman’smovement? What meaning do you find in having a global diakonia?

IN WHAT WAYS IS IT HELPFUL/NECESSARY FOR DIACONAL MINISTRY TO BEUNIQUE? OR DO YOU AGREE THAT “THE UNIQUENESS OF DIACONAL MINISTRYIS THAT WE ARE NOT UNIQUE?” (struggle with power and visibility;vision of diaconal ministry in context) What does diaconalministry have to offer in relation to the ministry of the church?How do you envision the future of diaconal ministry? If you had todo it over again would you choose to be diaconal?